Roadside St. 5: A long night waiting for the big day, a sunny wonderful afternoon and a strong sprint by the king of the sprinters here at a few steps from my home. That’s how I joined the Giro 2012 and here’s what I have to tell you…

Still everybody sleeping, but everything is ready for the race.

Fano’s ancient walls and bell tower.

Every time I join the Giro in the first day I feel like the first one. But this year the Giro comes into my town and we have been talking for months about this event. Fano is not that kind of city where every day you can talk about something. Here usually doesn’t happen anything and the big events are almost related to the rain if rains strong and to the snow if snows. So everybody is aware that today the big names of the cycling will ride on our roads and millions of eyes will watch our houses from TV or PC screens. People we will never meet but we really would like to show how nice is our town.

The main square at noon time with village installed.

A grilled fish Fanese style.

The spring 2012 is not the best I can remember; a lot of rains in the last weeks. But today the sun was shining since the first hours of the day. There’s nothing better than a wonderful sunny day in front of the Adriatic sea. I wake up early and I go to watch what’s on the finish line.

The RCS people are already working hard to install the lot of stuff are surrounding “that” line. People are still sleeping at home but the sun is high, it’s a nice warm morning of May. Everything is ready for the big day by the fans and the closure of the roads it’s just another reason to move by bike.

Morning at work, just like a normal day, but lunch has done with family, outside, eating a grilled fish done Fanese style. With bread seasoning on it. A fast move to the Giro headquarters to pick up the credentials and all the afternoon in front to enjoy the Giro stage. The finish line is located on the main road in a straight 600 meters length section with trees on the sides. Everything says we are going to witness a big sprint. But the last 30 km are not easy because the passage on the coast before Pesaro can give some surprises.

The stressfull finish line, but I’m safely behind!

Goss and Cav.

Race is on when I come to the finish line. I got the chance to wear the photo credentials so I have the access to the final moments. However I decide not to make the same pictures all others are doing (also because the pro photographers can do much better than me), but I would like to shoot something different, behind the scenes and I chose to stay just 200 meters behind the finish line.

The victory.

The injury.

Helicopter comes, people on the sides scream, the speaker announces that Goss has departed on the left side of the road. Cavendish on the right. I can see them coming very fast to the finish and my heart runs very fast. For the post race I move to the team buses park to meet all riders coming back from the road. Some of them are injured but many of them seem relaxed, not as you expect by riders have done 200 km! The rosa jersey is one of the last to come and is wearing the small “Girbecco” in his back pocket.

The maglia rosa jersey at the team bus.

After the race I move to home and I meet my good friends from PEZ: Ashley and Jered Gruber. Two fantastic photo-reporters that had a very bad welcome by Italy. All their gear was stolen just yesterday in Verona. No more database, lost a work from an year! No more laptops, no more dresses for Ashley. But they are still together (and have their cameras) and I’m sure their eyes will catch so many beautiful shots in the next days.
My Giro has just started and tomorrow I’ve planned a couple of passages on the Marche hills. Stay tuned, the best has to come.